Self-Care Sunday: A Complete Guide

Welcome to your Self-Care Sunday guide! Here, you’ll discover the why behind the Self-Care Sunday Series, 7 rules to have an amazing Self-care Day, and inspiration to make this ritual your own.

After caring so much and so urgently to tend to the needs of others, I lost myself in the void of burnout.

I rushed around so urgently for hours without a break. Then for days, and eventually, for years.

I forgot how to stop, how to breathe and enjoy the quiet.

Anxiety took over after the dust settled, and I had to re-learn how I was before this life.

In my 20s, I worked doubles (lunch and dinner shifts back-to-back) and many times I worked 6 days a week with no rest. Often, no breaks in between the lunch and dinner shifts.

Millions of granola bars.

Sometimes I worked 7 days a week.

Sometimes, when we were short staffed at the restaurant where I was working, we would say to each other, “I’m on day 9” or even “I’m on day 15”, which meant the number of days since you had a day off.

We steered clear of anyone past day 10. We knew these were short-fused individuals saving all their kindness, patience, and grace for their guests.

Ticking time bombs.

If you have worked as a server or a bartender, you understand. We have all been there.

In your 20s, you may think “I am young, I have endless energy, I can do this! Hell, I can do this every day, bring it on.”

I get it, I thought that way too. I acted that way.

We all did.

But now, in my 30s, I often ask my friends and coworkers what they did on their day off, and the answer is often “I sat down and did nothing.” To which I just nod “Yeah…nice.” And we share a look in mutual understanding.

Many times, it is “I watched TV, played video games, went nowhere, spoke to nobody.”

A high percentage of people who work in the service industry turn to drugs and alcohol to deal with the stress and mental strain of working in the service industry.

I have 5 friends who had to become 100% sober after overdoing it for years.

Some had to quit the industry altogether.

Many people stay in service industry jobs for years because the days you take to recover mentally – and often physically – from running around for hours without a break takes everything out of you.

The countless times you are not allowed to “fight back” when you are disrespected or harassed because of “fear of losing your job” or “getting a bad review” takes a big toll on your mental health.

You program yourself to respond to everything with a smile. A survival technique.

Often too, serving or bartending is a job without income stability (On a slow day, for example, you could get cut and make no money that day), with no health benefits, no 401k match, no paid vacations, no sick leave. Everything adds up.

A job where you often get asked “What is your real job? You are doing this on the side, right? What else are you doing with your life?”. Even though, many times, a serving or bartending job at a fine dining restaurant can earn much more than many of those classic 9 to 5 “real” jobs.

I often want to say “My pretend job pays for all my real-world bills and allows me to look after my family” but that’s not very friendly.

My daydreaming gets amped up with fantasies of fighting back. Fight Club comes to mind.

So why do people do it? Many reasons!

Here are some: Sometimes the great days are really great! You invest yourself with knowledge and expertise, so you stick around. Perhaps you find a great place to work. You develop loyalty to the place you work. Schedule flexibility, no cap on hourly earnings, etc.

To Sum It Up: Working in the service industry can be very rewarding, but just as well it often has detrimental effects on mental health.

This is why I created this series.

Self-Care Sunday is a mantra to do something you love one day a week and recharge for a week where you will be putting on your best smile and giving excellent customer service. The rest of the week, you are leaving your own feelings at the door, being professional, being charming, and giving an excellent experience to everyone who you meet.

NOTE: There are many jobs other than the service industry which are high stress with little downtime as well, so these articles can benefit anyone looking for inspiration on having themselves a fabulous Self-Care Sunday.

Heck, you might have a relaxing job that you love and still want some Self-Care Sunday inspiration. Here you go, my satisfied-with-life friend.

PRO TIP: Your Self-Care Sunday can be any day of the week when you are off! It doesn’t have to be specifically on Sunday. I know Sunday is a good day because most restaurants usually close Sunday or Monday to allow their staff a rest day. The restaurant where I am a bartender (Alligator Soul) closes Sundays, so I am always off on Sunday.

As I have often mentioned, many places close on Sunday in Savannah, so this is also an exploration of things to do in Savannah on a Sunday.

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6 Rules for an Amazing and Guilt-Free Self-Care Sunday:

1. Set yourself up for success! Spend the morning doing everything you need to have a successful week. This can be laundry, meal prep, a grocery list, a time-blocking calendar. This is important to enjoy your self-care Sunday without the anxiety of a pending to-do list. Try your best to tackle all this the morning off or even the 2 days prior to your day off, to truly enjoy your Self-Care Sunday. A little bit of planning and time management can do magic to prep for your wonderful day ahead!
2. Pick 2 or 3 things MAX and enjoy them fully. Don’t overload your day. Remember, this is a time for you to relax.
3. Walking is very important. It will allow you to relax and clear your mind. Most of my Self-Care Sunday articles will include quite a bit of walking because going for a long walk is therapy for the mind. These articles are set in Savannah, Georgia. If you don’t live downtown or Midtown (Like most of us), bring your car, park it by Forsyth Park, and WALK. Parking is free on Sundays in Savannah, even if you want to park downtown.
4. Unless you have saved some money to give yourself a fabulous and splurgy Self-Care Sunday – I don’t think “splurgy” is a word, but it feels like the right word…- Don’t spend a lot of money. Remember that this is a day for you to relax, not to go into debt. Which is why I will include activities like happy hours, service industry specials, or splurges with GREAT value to them.

SIDE-NOTE: I have a place in my bedroom where I stash away singles and $5 bills every week labeled “SELF-CARE SUNDAY FUND”. I know, I’m so extra. Watch yourself do it too haha.

5. While these list-type articles are tailored specifically for my home city, which is Savannah, Georgia, you can be inspired by these posts to make your own Self-Care Sunday wish lists! You can add all the things you ever want to do on your day off. For example: Get dessert at your favorite place. Get a massage (Splurgy for sure). Go for a walk at your favorite park. Have a French-style picnic at the park or the beach. Take a book to the beach with a cooler with fresh-cut fruit and sparkling water, etc. CLICK HERE for my Self-Care Sunday Wishlist for inspiration to make yours!
6. While nurturing your mind is important, your body will carry your mind and your emotional wellbeing. Sometimes, Self-Care Sunday is a day of raw foods and no drinking. A day to reset and feel great, a day to cleanse. I’m the first advocate to have a glass of champagne for a celebration or special occasion. However, often in our industry we drink to forget, because of habit, or to wind down. Give yourself and your body a break to regenerate and allow yourself to feel relaxed with a clear mind, try it once and see how it feels.
7. If you spend your Sunday (or day off) simply cleaning your house and tackling your TO-DO list. More power to you! But remember to also do something nice for yourself, like lighting some candles and taking a long hot bath or drinking a relaxing cup of fragrant mint tea. Maybe play some music and dance, take a nap with your kitten, read a book with a glass of wine, etc. While it is true that cleaning your house and doing chores is also self-care, doing something nice for yourself will recharge you for the week ahead.

NOTE: It is very important to be mindful of whatever thing you are doing for yourself, and think “I’m doing this for me, I deserve this moment for myself”. You will give so many of your moments to the care of others later, so this one is YOURS. Ok?

And if it snows or rains on your Self-Care Sunday (even though it never snows in Savannah), a day at home doing your favorite things with intention and mindfulness is also amazing.

Now that you are ready for a great Self-Care Sunday, feel free to explore the articles.

Have an amazing day!